1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip cooling assembly and more particularly to a very small-scale chip cooling assembly for efficiently and effectively cooling small but powerful electronic microprocessors or other small, heat generating devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
As microprocessors, such as Intel""s Pentium brand series, become more powerful, they also generate more heat. To prevent failure and to ensure optimum capability, it is necessary to remove heat and to maintain the temperature of these microprocessors within a predetermined range. A number of different devices trying to accomplish this have been patented. These include the use of cold plates, microchannels, impingement jets and variations and combinations of these as well as other cooling devices. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,392,362; 4,941,530; 5,183,104; 5,169,372; 5,394,936; 5,544,696; 5,696,405; and 5,870,823. The search, however, goes on for more effective, efficient and reliable cooling mechanisms.
The below described embodiment improves upon the prior efforts and is a small scale cooler system comprising a housing, an inlet port formed in the housing for receiving a refrigerant or similar fluid, an outlet port formed in the housing, a thermally conductive element connected to the housing, an evaporator chamber operatively communicating with the housing where heat exchange takes place, a capillary passage formed in the housing extending downstream from the inlet port, and an expansion zone formed downstream of the capillary passage and in fluid communication with the evaporator chamber.
There are a number of advantages, features and objects achieved with the present invention which are believed not to be available in earlier related devices. For example, one advantage is that the present invention provides a very effective cooling system for very small heat dissipating items, such as electronic microprocessors. Another object of the present invention is to provide a small cooling system which is simple, reliable and economical. Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a cooling system which is very small scale and easily attached to a small heat generating device. Yet a further feature of the present invention is to provide a cooling system flexible enough to transfer heat by forced convection, flow boiling, and pool boiling and any combination thereof.
A more complete understanding of the present invention and other objects, advantages and features thereof will be gained from a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiment read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing provided herein.